A&M's Cheek develops into fine lineman

Joseph Cheek, the son of former A&M offensive lineman Louis Cheek, starts at right guard.

Joseph Cheek, the son of former A&M offensive lineman Louis Cheek,...

COLLEGE STATION — Joseph Cheek's father, Louis, played on Texas A&M's offensive line two decades before his son.

“They beat Texas every year he was here,” Joseph said of the success of his dad's teams from 1984-87. “Now, we don't play them anymore, and the last time we played them we lost (in 2011), so he gives me heck about that.”

Express Newsletters

Get the latest news, sports and food features sent directly to your inbox.

Cheek, the Aggies' starting right guard, knows it's good-natured, though, because his father and family couldn't be more proud of what Joseph has accomplished at Texas A&M: He stuck out the tough times and is now a solid contributor to a top 10 program.

“He could have been bitter about this whole thing,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said of Cheek signing with one coach (Mike Sherman) out of Seguin, and then playing for another. “But he's become an example of a guy who has worked really hard at it and taken to coaching. And he not only took to it, but said, 'I want to play.'”

Colleges

The No. 9 Aggies, who host Lamar at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Kyle Field, are one of the nation's early surprises. They stunned then-No. 9 South Carolina 52-28 on Aug. 28, and leaped 12 spots in the Associated Press poll after doing so.

Cheek, a junior who played sparingly in his first two seasons at A&M, is a microcosm of that surprise. He had signed with Sherman in 2011, redshirted a season and then saw his coach replaced with Sumlin. After failing to earn much playing time as an underclassman, Cheek could have simply gone through the motions as a spare part on a tough offensive line.

Instead, he went to work in the weight room under the tutelage of strength coach Larry Jackson, and was one of the five starters who helped sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill set a school record with 511 passing yards in the thrashing of the Gamecocks.

“I had to stay humble and keep working hard,” Cheek said. “I probably came to A&M at 255 pounds, and here I am four years later at 310 pounds. I had to really work at that.”

Meanwhile so did his partner at left guard, senior Garrett Gramling, who has worked his way in front of fellow senior Jarvis Harrison, who started 26 games during the past two seasons. Sumlin said this week Harrison, after putting on too much weight in the offseason, must work his way back into the “good graces” of the program to get back on to the field.

If the opener is an indication, however, A&M's starting five will be a tough nut to crack.

“When we first got here, Cheek and Gramling had a hard time getting on the field,” Sumlin said. “They've worked themselves into being really good players, and they're really good examples for a lot of players on this team, based on where they are right now.”

“We found some things we need to still get right,” Gramling vowed after watching video. “Technique things, finishing blocks. We need to fix the little kinks.”

They'll get a chance to do so against the Cardinals of the Southland Conference, in the first contest in the halfway-redeveloped Kyle Field. Much like the offensive line, which is earning early accolades as perhaps one of the nation's best, the east (student) side was overhauled in the offseason.

“It all started up front with the offensive line,” Hill said. “They blocked tremendously, and gave me plenty of time to sit back there and make throws.”